


Everything Is Blue

by Amity2319



Category: Leafy - Fandom, LeafyIsHere - Fandom, TRASH - Fandom, youtube - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Help, Multi, To Be Deleted, Ugh, trash, why
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-11
Updated: 2017-04-06
Packaged: 2018-10-02 13:43:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10219586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amity2319/pseuds/Amity2319
Summary: The boy in the elevator is red.Who knew one moment in an elevator could change everything?The girl in the elevator is blue.It wasn't supposed to happen like this, was it?Together they're a lilac sky.





	1. I'd Say Hello But You'll Keep On Walking

I opened my eyes slowly only to be blinded by the sun that was peeking out from the navy window curtains. Slowly my eyes focused on the white wall in front of me. The room was cold enough to make me shiver. I pulled up my comforter to cover up my naked body. A slight movement alerted me that I was not alone. I looked over only to see shaggy blonde hair and a muscular back. The taste of alcohol lingered in my mouth and I remembered the events of last night at the bar. I could remember what happened but remembering his name was a different story. Giving out a sigh I turned to face the wall again.  
“That was some night.” The man spoke. His voice wasn’t very deep but more on the higher pitched side. It was annoying.  
“Get out.” My voice was even and monotone.  
“What?”  
“Get. Out.” I waited but felt no movement. “Get out now Adam.” I didn’t bother to turn around. He put is arm around my waist and attempted to kiss my neck.  
“Come on, let’s have a repeat of last night.” He attempted to seduce me.  
“Did I stutter? Get out.” I threw his arm off of me. The bed dipped as he rolled off. I could hear his muttering and grumbling as he slipped on his pants.  
“The name is Blake, by the way.” The door opened but I still did not turn around.  
“Yeah, Yeah.” Without missing a beat he slammed the door. I listened quietly till I heard the front door of the apartment slam. Letting out a sight of relief I sat up in my bed. It was nice to be alone finally. After a quick stretch I went to grab my phone but was interrupted by a knock at the door. Seeing how Blake left already it could be one of two people Lacey or Callie.  
“Michelle, are you in there?” The voice was high pitched but not in a annoying way. I could immediately tell it was Lacey.  
“Where else would I be?” I chuckle.  
“I don’t know Canada?”  
“That was a terrible joke.” I paused. “What do you need?”  
“Well, two things. The first is that breakfast is ready if you want to eat before work. Second, who was that guy who just stomped out of here?”  
“He said his name was Blake.” I shrugged even though she couldn’t see it. “Let’s talk about this in a few minutes. I need to shower and get ready for work.”  
“It’s Thursday, I though you didn’t work today.” She questioned.  
“I’m filling in for someone today.” I replied as I leaned over to grab my phone that was sitting on my nightstand. It was 9:37 A.M. and it was a good thing I didn’t have to head to work until noon.  
“Really? That doesn’t sound like you.” I tried not to groan. I love Lacey but a lot of the time she asks a lot of questions at the wrong time.  
“I’ll tell you about it in a few.” I made sure to emphasize my words so she would take the hint.  
“Alright. Don’t take long. Breakfast will get cold.” I smiled. Lacey grew up in a large family. I’m not sure if large even describes her family. Growing up the oldest of eight must have been tough. I had two younger siblings so I could relate somewhat. Lacey was caring but even the word caring didn’t do her justice. She always volunteered and took care of others. Callie and I often tease her by calling her mom. Lacey was a catch not only in the personality department but she was also beautiful. She had recently cut her long blonde hair into a short bob. The short hairstyle suited her well. Her eyes were blue like the sea, which seems like a cheesy comparison but it is the best comparison I can make.  
I snapped back to reality and cursed myself for zoning out. Honestly, I didn’t really feel like going in to work at the coffee shop today. I had a massive hangover but I have no one to blame but myself and maybe Blake. After I dragged myself out of bed I grabbed my ugly work uniform and a towel. When I got to my bedroom door I hesitated. The sheets. I made sure my towel was wrapped securely around me before ripping all the sheets and pillowcases off of my bed.  
With my work clothes and bedroom sheets in hand I made my way down the hallway only stopping to put my clothes in the bathroom. I turned to the left and saw Lacey and Callie sitting at the kitchen table. They were sipping coffee but turned to look when they heard me approaching.  
“I didn’t know it was that kind of breakfast.” Callie smirked.  
“Oh, bite me.” I remarked which earned me a laugh from Callie.  
“Only if you beg me to.” She shot back. I was used to Callie’s quick remarks. She was the only person who was just as sarcastic as I was. We often get mistaken as sisters but I don’t see how. Callie’s hair is light brown and short; whereas mine is long and black. Her eyes were hazel and mine were brown. Callie’s skin was an olive color and mine was tan. I could go on and on about the differences between Callie and I if I wanted too.  
“Earth to Michelle…Come in, Michelle.” Once again I snapped back from zoning out.  
“I’m going to shower. I just came to put my sheets in the wash.” I shook my head and walked past them into a small room that could barely fit the washer and dryer.  
“You work today? But it’s Thursday.” Callie shouted at me.  
“Why does everyone keep saying that? What? I can’t work on a Thursday?” I mumbled under my breath. I walked out of the room after my sheets were loaded and started in the wash.  
“I’ll explain in a little bit. Just let me shower first.” I repeated once again but unlike Lacey, Callie didn’t press me with more questions.  
“You haven’t washed Blake off yet?” Callie smirked at me.  
“Bite me.” I glared at Lacey as Callie laughed.  
“Not until you wash Blake off.” She laughed again this time Lacey laughed along. I headed back towards the shower flipping Lacey and Callie off as I walked away.

I was putting my wet hair into a ponytail when there was a loud thump on the door. A sigh escaped my lips, I knew who was at the door without them even saying anything.  
“Michelle! Hurry up! Breakfast is getting cold! I don’t want to overcook it for you!” Lacey said urgently.  
“I’m just fixing my hair. I will be out in a minute.” I could hear her steps retreating back into the kitchen. I put my hands on both sides of the sink and took a look at my reflection. My uniform for the coffee shop looked absolutely terrible. Well, on me it did. The pastel yellow dress didn’t suit me at all and it contrasted with my dark hair color. On top of the dress being fitted I had to wear a lace apron. I rolled my eyes at nothing in particular. Grabbing my phone I made my way to the kitchen where my probably cold breakfast was waiting for me.  
“I just don’t see the point of doing that.” Callie was rolling her eyes at Lacey.  
“The point is for you to…” She didn’t finish her sentence. Instead she focused on me obviously deciding that I was a much better topic. “There you are! I was afraid your food would get cold. Go ahead sit. I’ll get it for you.” Lacey stood up and walked into the kitchen to get my food.  
“Thanks Mom!” I shouted at her, only feeling a little bad about her mothering me. It didn’t matter to Lacey if you didn’t want her help or could manage to do it yourself.  
“What were you guys arguing about?” I asked Callie in a low voice.  
“She wants me to get back on said imaginary saddle…and we weren’t arguing.” Callie whispered back to me.  
“Well, she’s not wrong. It’s been at least two weeks. Go for it.” I shrugged.  
“That’s not long enough. I have to wait till she starts dating someone.”  
“Why? What’s the point in that? If you’re ready to move on, then move on.” I shrugged again. Callie stared at me but eventually shrugged as well.  
“When you put it that way I…” This time it was Callie who stopped in mid sentence as Lacey came back with a plate of food.  
“Toast, bacon and eggs. I know you don’t like eggs but you can put it on the toast and make a sandwich for all I care.” Lacey tacked on some sass at the end.  
“Well, I’d like orange juice to go with my food but sass works just as well.” I replied with a smile. Lacey started to walk toward the kitchen again. “I was kidding. I can get it.”  
“No, sit. You’re going to be on your feet all day anyways.” She said from the kitchen. This was true and I wasn’t going to argue with her about it.  
“So anyways what is the deal with you working today?” Callie asked loud enough for Lacey to hear.  
“Right, my co-worker asked me to cover his shift today. I owe him a favor and this is what he is using it on. That’s it. Nothing special.” I told her as I put my bacon and eggs on my toast.  
“Really? I thought it was going to be something more exciting than that.” Lacey replied as she walked back to the table with my orange juice in hand.  
“Alright. Now moving on to a new and more interesting topic…Jake!” Callie had an excited tone in her voice.  
“Blake.” Lacey and I replied at the same time.  
“Whatever. I want details.” She shrugged it off.  
“Well, those are kind of blurry. From what I remember it went okay…” I bit into my sandwich. “He didn’t leave in the middle of the night like I wanted him to. So I had to kick him out this morning. It was kind of awkward.” I didn’t want to acknowledge the topic anymore.  
“You need to stop getting blackout drunk. I live vicariously though you.” Callie exclaimed.  
“I see college has taught you some big words.” I poked fun at her. Lacey wasn’t joining in on the conversation but she laughed anyways.  
“Well I see th-“ Callie was cut off.  
“Sorry, your brunch was so cold.” Lacey chimed in. She must have not liked where this conversation was going.  
“It’s fine Lace…what do you mean brunch?” I pointed at my half eaten sandwich. “This is breakfast.” She frowned at me.  
“No, it’s almost eleven already.” Lacey pointed to a clock that was hanging on a wall behind me.  
“Shit.” I said staring at the clock or rather glaring at it. “Time is a bitch.” After taking a few more bites of my food I stood up.  
“Do you need me to pick you up?” Callie asked.  
“Yeah, that would be great. I get off work at eleven tonight.” I told her as I looked around for my jacket. Unfortunately, it didn’t cover my entire uniform but at least my arms would be warm when I walked to work.  
“Why so late? I though you were just covering a shift for someone.”  
“He was going to do a double but something came up, said it was important. But he will be there at eleven-ish to cover the rest of the shift.” I explained still looking for my jacket. I couldn’t remember where I had left it.  
“Living room couch.” Lacey pointed across the room to our black couch.  
“What?”  
“Your jacket. That’s what you’re looking for right?” Her voice was monotone as if she was done with my shit already.  
“Oh! How did you know I was looking for that?” I questioned.  
“It seems like you are always looking for it.” She rolled her eyes at me.  
“Shut up.” I laughed and walked across the room to the black love seat. “I do not always loose my sweater.” It took me a minute but I could see the faint outline of my black sweater on the couch. I sighed as I picked up my jacked and put it on. “We should really get more furniture.” I noted. Our living room was plain. We had a simple black loveseat and a coffee table to match. Our entertainment center was really an old brown dresser Callie found at a yard sale. It held all of our DVD’s and a decent sized TV on top. That is all there really was. That was all you really saw when you walked into our apartment. If you turned your head to the left you would see our kitchen table, which was across from a counter where the kitchen was.  
“With what money?” Callie snorted. I didn’t respond because she did after all, have a point.  
“I’m heading out. I’ll see you guys later.” I turned around and walked towards the door.  
“I’ll be there around 10:50.” Callie yelled at me as she moved towards the kitchen.  
“Alright. See ya.” I opened the door.  
“Be careful!” Lacey shouted at me. Without responding I shut the door.  
I took a deep breath and looked around the empty hallway. The walls were a dull grey color that clashed with the orange and red carpet. My apartment was a decent one but very obviously not a stylish one. Turning to the right I headed to the elevator. It felt like my body was on autopilot, my mind zoning out. I almost didn’t realize that I was in from of the elevator. Almost. I pushed out the button, and then pulled my phone out from my sweater to pass the time. Lucky for me my blue headphones were still in the pocket of my sweater from the last time I went out.  
I had just settled on listening to Using You by Mars Argo when the elevator made a dinging noise alerting me to its presence. The doors opened to reveal a guy dressed in a black hoodie, jeans and a black snapback. He also had a pair of bulky headphones around his neck. The guy was staring at his phone and didn’t acknowledge me as I got into the elevator. The doors started to close as I went to press the button for the first floor but it was already lit. I looked over to the man who was still on the phone. We were on the 9th floor, which meant he must have lived or was visiting from floors 10-15.  
Surprisingly, the elevator ride went smoothly and we stood in a comfortable silence. Well, it was only comfortable for me due to the headphones. I watched as the elevator counted down the floors.  
“3rd floor.” I could hear the female electronic voice faintly through my headphones. “2nd floor.” Why was this ride taking so long? “1st floor.” Finally we had reached the first floor. The doors slowly opened and the man and I collided into each other as we attempted to get off. I turned my face towards the man but couldn’t see his face because he was looking down.  
“Sorry, go ahead.” His voice was deep and sounded mysterious.  
“Thanks.” I smiled even though he couldn’t see it. Oh, well. Without hesitation I walked out of the elevator.  
I pulled my sweater tighter when the chilly air outside hit me. Sighing I turned left and started walking toward the coffee shop. That was one of the good things about living in the city. Everything was always close by. It didn’t take long for me to reach work. It was a hop, skip, a few turns and a jump away. I looked up at the sign as I approached my workplace.  
“Fate and Desires.” I said aloud. “What an odd name for a coffee shop.” I shrugged to myself. “Well, it gives hopeless romantics something to think about.” Fate and Desires was located in the middle of a busy street. The only way in for the employees was through the front door. Which normally seem unprofessional but what could you really do in that situation. Plus the coffee shop was highly casual the only thing that didn’t fit was the terrible uniform.  
My nose was assaulted with the strong scent of coffee when I opened the door. Fate and Desires was bigger on the inside despite its outside appearance. During the day the window blinds were put up making the shop seem friendly. But at night it seemed to turn into a different place. During the night the blinds were shut and the ceiling lights were dimmed. The brick walls gave the place a more mysterious and seductive aura. There was a mix of small and large tables throughout the place. There was at least three big leather couches in the store as well. A stage was placed in the back of the shop. On the other side of the room right next to where I was standing was the counter where you could order and get a number so someone could deliver your items. Fate and Desires did not only sell coffee but food and other pastries as well.  
“You’re early.” A voice said. It was high pitched and female. Turning my head towards the counter I saw Shelly leaning against the counter. Her blue hair was pulled back into a ponytail. “It’s not even 11:45 yet. “ She noted.  
“Better to be early than late.” I nodded to her and headed to the break room. The break room was empty which wasn’t surprising. Afternoons at Fate and Desires tended to be busy due to the lunch hour. Everyone was prepping for the lunch rush. Unlike my apartment building, which was wild with color, the break room was…well…a break room. It was boring and plain. The entire room was white. White plastic tables with white plastic chairs that matched the white walls, cabinets, and countertops. There were only two pieces of furniture, if you could even call it furniture, which was not white. That happened to be a black snack and drink vending machines.  
“Time’s a bitch.” I said aloud. The clock in the break room read 11:50. Groaning I got up from the chair I as sitting on and started to pace around the room. “Screw it.” I took off my sweater and put it into one of the bottom cabinets. Sliding my headphones and phone into my apron pocket I went to go clock in.  
“I’ve said it before and I will say it again.” I was running the second cash register in the front with Shelly. “It is unattractive when I guy asks you out on a date when you’re working.” It wasn’t uncommon for men and women to flirt, even ask Shelly on a date when we were working.  
“I think you’re just jealous.” She chuckled. After the lunch rush was over, Fate and Desires started to get slow. My eyes were roaming over the remaining customers. “You know if you didn’t look like you were going to stab someone, you would get asked out a lot too.” I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at Shelly.  
“Don’t make me repeat myself.” This time I chuckled to help lighten the mood. “I’m jus-“ I was interrupted when the chime from the entrance door sounded.  
“ Hi! Welcome to Fate and Desires!” Shelly’s peppy voice rang out but there was no response from the customer.  
“Hey, I’m going in the back real quick okay?” I turned around so my back was facing whoever just came in.  
“Why?” Shelly leaned in and whispered to me.  
“I have to utilize the latrine.” I joked.  
“What?”  
“I have to go to the bathroom.”  
“Oh, well have fun taking a major dump.” I laughed at her and another laugh joined mine. My cheeks were starting to heat up and I didn’t dare turn around.  
“I hate you.” I whispered. My face felt hot and I walked away as fast as I could. I could hear a manly laugh followed by Shelly’s giggles.  
Instead of actually going to the bathroom I sat down on one of the chairs in the break room and with a sigh I pulled out my phone. It was barely 2:45 P.M. I couldn’t help but groan. It was going to be a long day. I lingered around the break room for a few more minutes before I headed back to the counter.  
“How did your dump go?” Shelly asked in a loud tone. Normally, I had more self-control but I could help but roll my eyes at her.  
“It was glorious. The best dump I’ve ever taking. Thanks for asking.” My voice was dripping with sarcasm.  
“Sarcasm is not becoming, Michelle.” Shelly fired back at me. “Anyways, that customer who was at the counter when we were talking about the major dump you had to take is actually pretty attractive.” She wiggled her eyebrows at me. I shoved her slightly. there were no customers inline at the moment. So I took the opportunity to lean on the counter.  
“You going to write your number on his coffee cup?” I chuckled. It was one of Shelly’s signature moves.  
“No.” She pouted. “He didn’t order his coffee to go. He is still here.” She leaned in next to me. “He’s sitting in the back at a table right next to the stage. “ She pointed to the back of the room and there he was, sitting at a table in the back left hand corner next to the stage. He sat there with his laptop, headphones, black hoodie, jeans and a black snapback. The oblivious guy I “met” on the elevator.  
“I wouldn’t waste your time with that one.” I smiled at her. Shelly tilted her head to the side and looked at me.  
“What do you mean?”  
“I saw him this morning or rather ran into him this morning. He was out of it. Didn’t really pay attention to anything but his phone. He didn’t even pay attention to his surroundings.” I recalled how we bumped into each other earlier. To be fair I didn’t pay much attention either but I wasn’t going to admit that to Shelly.  
“I think you’re exaggerating because you want him for yourself.” She winked at me. “If you want him that badly I’ll back off just for you. It’s be a long time since you’ve dated someone right?” She tried to lighten the mood but I just brushed it off.  
“He’s all yours. Go for it.” I looked at him. The guy was too occupied with his computer to notice my staring. I still couldn’t see him face, he was crouched down the screen covering his face. On his table there was a small red sign with the number 3 written in white.  
“Calvin.” Shelly whispered into my ear. Her words brought me out of the trance I was in.  
“What? I looked her confused.  
“His name is Calvin.”  
“Calvin, huh.” Remembering the number on the table I turned toward Shelly.  
“He has a number on his table. What is he waiting on?” I asked with curiosity.  
“Ah, he ordered some coffee but requested it come out with his food. I think he plans to be here for quite awhile either that or he is just really hungry. Calvin ordered soup, salad and a sandwich.” He turned to look at him. “He hasn’t been waiting that long. He sat down a few minutes before you came out. Before I could even respond there was a soft dinging noise that could be heard to the right of us. The sound caught our attention and we both turned in the direction of the noise.  
“Three.” A gruff voice yelled. We didn’t have a normal serving system at Fate’s. Not that it really mattered anyways.  
“That’s yours.” I noted, turning back around. I tried to look anywhere besides the table Calvin was sitting at. I couldn’t help but be curious since this was the second time I have run into him today and I have yet to see his face.  
“Crap.” Shelly mumbled under her breath. “I didn’t’ think it would be done this fast. I haven’t even made his coffee yet.” While she was slightly panicking, I was looking around the shop observing the customers. There weren’t many. There was a lesbian couple cuddled on one of the brown leather couches. They held hands and they propped their feet up on the lower shelf of the coffee table right across from them. While some guy with a girl sat on the other brown couch with textbooks and notebooks sprawled about everywhere. They seemed to be either arguing or discussing something. You could tell there was sexual tension there. A middle-aged women sitting by her self at a table reading a book and taking small sips of her coffee. Then there was Calvin who sat alone with his laptop.  
“Michelle!” Shelly said loud enough to snap me out of my trance but not loud enough to disturb the customers.  
“What?” I looked at her. She sighed at me.  
“I asked if you would take his food to him while I make his coffee.” It was mine turn to sigh. “Please? Plus it will give me an opportunity to think of what I am going to say to him.”  
“I guess.” My voice was flat and even. Ignoring my shit attitude Shelly handed me the tray filled with his food. Handing it was a nice term, what she really did was shove it at me.  
I walked around the counter and started towards Calvin. Was it weird to call him Calvin? Was it too personal? I didn’t even know him. I shook my head to clear my thoughts. I didn’t know this person so why did I care? I chalked it up to curiosity. For some reason the short walk to his table seemed to take forever. When I finally reached his table he just sat there, engrossed into his computer. I set the tray of food on the table closest to his. He must have been doing something important because even as I started to place his food on the table there was no reaction from him. I noticed that his laptop took up most of the table, which wasn’t all the surprising. The coffee shop had decent sized table but they did lean more on the smaller side. His food barely fit onto the table; in fact it looked like it might fall off at any minute.  
“Thanks.” He told me without taking his eyes off the computer. His hands were clicking away on the portable mouse and sometimes typing on the keyboard. Even though I was so close to him I still couldn’t see his face. If the screen wasn’t in the way, his snapback was. I didn’t know if he could even hear me so I debated whether or not I should respond.  
“No problem.” I paused remembering his coffee. “Shelly is just finishing up your coffee now. She’ll come give it to you in just a minute.” He nodded in response. I picked the tray up and was about to walk away and let him worry about the lack of space for his coffee for himself. I don’t know what compelled me but I set the tray down again and started to move the chairs away from the table closest to him. Making sure not to knock anything over or knock anything off the table, I moved table slowly next to his. The tables lined up perfectly and evenly. I quickly rearranged the plates of food.  
Once I was satisfied with the placement of the food, I smiled and grabbed the tray again. The constant clicking that had once filled the air had suddenly stopped. I turned to look at him and for the first time our eyes met. The headphones he had on were now around his neck. Calvin had brown eyes, they were almost doe like but that wasn’t quite the right comparison. He had tuffs of black hair peeking out through his hat. My eyes traveled down to his lips. One corner of his mouth moved upwards into a smirk. Before either of us could say or do anything, Shelly popped up with his coffee.  
“Enjoy your meal.” I snapped out of my trance and felt relieved that Shelly had come at that moment. I walked away quickly without even bothering to look back. My cheeks felt hot once again. I couldn’t understand why I was even embarrassed. Once I was back at the counter I tried to find something to occupy my mind. I went to the back and retrieved a wet cloth deciding to wipe down the counter.  
“What are you doing?” My head snapped up when I heard Shelly talking to me.  
“Wiping down the counter, obviously.” I paused. “That was a quick flirting session.” I noted to her.  
“Ugh, I think you may be right about this one. Also you’ve been wiping the same spot since I’ve walked up.” Shelly shook her head at me. “As soon as I set his coffee down he nodded and put his headphones back on.” I couldn’t help but smile. It was entertaining to she Shelly like this. Usually, she got what she wanted without even trying. “I’m not going to give up yet!” I laughed this time. I could see the determination in her eyes. Poor guy didn’t know what was coming for him.  
“That poor sucker.” I laughed. “If only he knew what is in store for him.”  
“Shut up!” She gave me a shove. “I’m not that bad! In fact, my mother says I am quite the catch and anyone would be lucky to have me!”  
“She’s your mother. She is obligated to say that.” Shelly rolled her eyes at me.  
“Anyways. The point is that I’m not going to give up and that I am a catch!” She said proudly.” I smiled in amusement. There was never a dull moment with Shelly around. “So, Michelle. Why did are you here instead of Travis?”  
“I owed him a favor but I didn’t know he would call it in for a shift and a half!” I groaned. “Well, at least I get paid for it.”  
“That blows. Well, at least for you. He is off visiting his girlfriend.” She leaned against the counter.  
“What?! He told me it was an emergency situation.” I started to get mad but I remembered I had owed him big time for covering 3 of my shifts when I got sick.  
“It was in a sense. I guess things were going downhill fast. Something about always working and never having any time for her.” She explained and attempted to reason.  
“Doesn’t she live two towns over? Just a couple of hours away?” I couldn’t quite remember.  
“Yeah, you can barely consider it long distance.”  
“That’s true.” I looked behind me at the clock. It was almost five. “Time’s a bitch.” I stated aloud.  
The hours seem to pass by slowly. Soon five turned into six and six turned into seven. People came and left but the only person who stayed was Calvin. He had finished his lunch a while ago but would come back up and order another refill every so often. Shelly left and was replaced by another girl who I wasn’t close to so work became boring but the dinner rush would hit soon so it wouldn’t be that bad. Plus, Fate had a live band coming to play tonight and tomorrow.  
“Excuse me.” A deep voice brought me out of my thoughts. I turned toward the voice. Just as I expected, it was Calvin.  
“You want another one?” I questioned as I positioned myself behind the register.  
“Yeah.” His answer was short and sweet. “Can I get it to go this time?”  
“How do you feel about getting dinner?” I asked. The dinner rush was going to hit soon and it wasn’t going to be pretty.  
“What?” He looked at me with a strange expression. Suddenly, I felt the need to explain myself.  
“It’s just that the dinner rush is going to hit soon. I’m assuming that you’re going to stay here for a little bit longer.” He sighed and rubbed his face.  
“Nah, I am actually about to head out. I am almost finished with work but I think I am going to finish up at my place.” I nodded at him.  
“Alright, one large refill for a regular coffee with cream and sugar.” We said at the same time. He was playfully mocking me.  
“It’s $1.50 but you already knew that.” I smiled at him as he handed me his card. “Alright, I’ll have your coffee out in a moment.”  
“I’m going to go pack up my things. I’ll be back in a minute to collect my coffee.” Without waiting for a response he walked back to his table. My mind started to wander as I made his coffee. My body was moving on it’s own. It seemed counter effective to leave your things at the table just to order just to have to go back and pack it all up again. The again who was I to judge? It’s not my time that was wasted but could it really be classified as wasted time? I filled the cup to the brim and snapped the lid on. I let out a slight huff. My tendency to overthink was especially bad today. I couldn’t understand why.  
“Are you done?” A voice said. The sound came from behind me. I shook my head as if that was really going to help me clear my thoughts. With the coffee in hand I turned around to see Calvin with a backpack hanging on his shoulder waiting patiently for his coffee.  
“Yes. Sorry about that. I was zoning out. Long day and all.” I handed him his coffee and let out an awkward laugh. Calvin took the coffee in his hand but didn’t immediately leave but rather just stood there.  
“We all have one of those days you know?” He cocked his head to the side giving me a slight smile. He raised the hand that was holding the coffee I had just made. “Well, thanks for the coffee. Have a nice day…” He looked down at my nametag. “Michelle. Have a nice day Michelle.” Calvin smiled. I could feel my heart pick up slightly.  
“Thanks, you too.” His smile was infectious. I couldn’t help but return it. With a quick wave he turned to leave and I watched him walk away. He never looked back but I kind of liked that about him. I was staring so long I didn’t notice when Lara, the new part-timer, come up and stand next to me.  
“Talk about a missed connection.” She huffed. I turned to look up at her. The girl was half a foot taller than me. Lara was fixing her purple bangs trying to pin them out of her face.  
“Why do you only dye the top half of your hair?” I questioned. I didn’t bother to ask her last week when she got hired.  
“Why not?” She stared at me with her hazel eyes. Lara had a point there.  
“That’s true. I guess I’ve never really thought about doing something like that.” I turned to look at the clock. It was almost eight. “The rush is about to hit. Are you ready?” I noted that this was Lara’s first time ever working the rush.  
“Do I have a choice not to be?”  
“Nope.”  
Thought so. Let’s get this over with.” Once again Lara huffed but this wouldn’t be the last time that happened. In fact this was one of many to come.  
Surprisingly, the dinner rush went a lot more smoothly than I had originally anticipated. Lara had only made a few minor mistakes that were easily fixable. It was almost 9:30 P.M. there were only a couple more hours to go. I could do this. My eyes scanned the shop. We weren’t extremely busy but we weren’t dead slow. Occasionally, we had someone come up asking for a refill on coffee or soda. I tried not to question the people that came to a coffee shop and got soda. After all we were partially a restaurant or rather a café.  
“That was…intense? I guess you could say. If anything it was definitely a workout.” Lara was leaning backwards her elbows leaning on the counter.  
“You did well. At lot better than most people did their first dinner shift.” I noted.  
“How long have you worked here?” She asked. I thought about it for a minute before I answered her.  
“Three years, just about. I moved here when I was 18 and got this job shortly after. I’ll be 22 in July.”  
“Oh, so you just turned 21 then.” Lara nodded her head at me. “You’ve got a long way to go considering it is barely about to be December.” I just shrugged it off. I tried not to think about how quickly time moves. When I start to think about time, my mind often wanders in different directions. Which, I normally didn’t mind but only when I was in the comfort of my own home.  
“I can’t wait for my shift to end. I really could use a hot shower and the comfort of my own bed.” I suddenly remembered that my sheets were still in the wash. Well, if I put them in the dryer as soon as I get home they would be almost done by the time I got done with my shower.  
“So, how come you didn’t give your number to that guy earlier? He looks like your type.” Lara asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.  
“What? I don’t have a type.” I wasn’t going to tell her that my type was the occasional one-night-stand or bar hookup. A girl had needs but the girl didn’t need a boyfriend. “Plus I don’t know him. For all I know he could be a closeted serial killer.” I paused at this. “More importantly, he is a customer and it is extremely tacky to hit on someone at work. Whether it be the customer hitting on your or you hitting on the customer.” I made sure to emphasize this sentence but that only earned me an eye roll from Lara.  
“Oh, please. Don’t take this the wrong way but you don’t exactly seem like the type who would go out of the way to meet someone outside of work.” I grimaced and she paused. “What I mean is. You don’t seem like the type of girl who be out and about and approach someone for romantic interests.” I internally praised myself for being able to hold my tongue. If Lara only knew about the incident this morning with Blake, I bet she would think differently. “So, work seems like the only place you would be able to meet people.”  
“Well, you’re only somewhat wrong.” I didn’t bother to clarify what I meant. Once again I took a look at the clock it was 10:14 P.M. I was almost home free. The only thing I wasn’t all that fond of was that Fate’s was open 24 hours. Being an insomniac myself I was thrilled but working odd hours of the night was not so thrilling. It was less thrilling and definitely sketchy, considering I was a young women living in the city but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.  
“How long have you’ve been here?” Lara questioned me. I couldn’t help but feel like I was being interrogated with all these questions.  
“Since twelve. I’m doing a favor for Travis.” I shrugged. “But I get off at eleven so it won’t be much longer thankfully.”  
“Damn. That’s a long time.” She paused and looked at the clock. “Forty minutes. That’s not bad.” We fell into a slightly awkward silence. I’ve only talked to Lara a handful of times but we never talked this long. Thankfully, the chime of the front door alerted us to a customer who just wanted in. We automatically switched to friendly employee mode.  
As time passed more customers left until only a few remained. I watched as Lara wiped the empty tables with a wet rag. Every so often I would mock her but telling her she had missed a spot. In return she would glare at me because it wasn’t appropriate to flip your co-worker off at work. Once again the similar chime of the front door went off. I stood up straight, turning towards the door and was about to welcome the customer in my friendly I-am-only-saying-this-because-I-have-to-not-because-I-want-to tone of voice.  
“Oh, it’s just you.” I slumped back down to lean on the counter.  
“I’m happy to see you too. Thanks for showing up to give me a ride back home so I don’t have to walk back through the city alone!” Callie teased and smiled at me. Walking to the counter she stood in front of me. “Let me get…” There was a long pause. “ A…” I had a feeling this was going to take forever. “Iced Mint Refresher.” I nodded, tapping the keys on the electronic cash register. Callie reached into her navy coat and started to pull out her wallet. I held up my hand stopping her.  
“It’s on me don’t worry about it.” I smiled at her. The great thing about working here was that we got two free drinks per shift. I turned around to make her and myself a drink. After getting a quick glance at the clock I turn back around before Callie walked away to sit down. “Oh. I’d thank you but you’re five minutes late.” I winked at her. She scoffed at me in return. I knew she enjoyed our playful banters.  
“Shut up. Better than half an hour!” She mocked back.  
“That was one time!” I couldn’t help but laugh. After I made our drinks I took them to the break room. Travis was standing there wearing a grey sweater that was covering the ugly pastel yellow shirt he was wearing underneath. My eyes traveled down the khaki slacks he was wearing. Travis was so tall that his slacks didn’t quite cover up his socks. You could see the green and purple polka-dotted socks peak through. His dirty blonde hair was sticking up in different directions as if he has been running his hand through his hair. Travis held onto his one staring at the screen with his left hand and pushed his black framed glasses the were sliding down back up to rest on his nose. He was attractive…very attractive. He had this I’m-A-Model-But-Hot-In-A-Nerdy-Kind-Of-Way-Too vibe going on.  
“Hey, when did you get here? I didn’t see you.” I broke the silence causing him to look up at me. “Everything okay?” Travis smiled at me but it didn’t reach his eyes.  
“They could be better. You were changing the water in the bucket for Lara. You must’ve not noticed when I walked in.” He sucked in his breath. “I just ended things with my girlfriend Jessica.” Not knowing what to do or how to even respond I gave him a half smile. “Yeah, it was for the best. For both of us…” He gave half a laugh. “It was better for me anyways I feel so relieved.” Travis took off his jacked at relieved the ugly uniform. I adverted my eyes looking anywhere besides him. We’ll talk more a little bit later though. I already clocked in so get out of here.” He walked past me giving me a slight nudge. I looked up at him, only to see him smiling at me. This time the smile reached his eyes. “Thank you for taking my shift and a half.”  
“It’s all good.” I smiled back him. “It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.” Thinking back to earlier in the day with Shelly and Calvin. My smile started to slip at the thought of Calvin. Why was I hung up on someone I didn’t even know and I was probably never going see him again. “Possible serial killer…” I mumbled under my breath.  
“What was that?” Travis turned back around to look at me.  
“I didn’t say anything.” I smiled and hoped it was convincing. He flashed me a smile and walked out of the room. Letting out a loud exhale I clocked out and grabbed my jacket. With my drink in tow I walked over to Callie who was sitting at a table that was close to the door texting away on her phone.  
“Who are you texting? Finally a new love interest?” I raised my eyebrows at her. She rolled her eyes at me.  
“No, just Lacey. She is wondering if I got here alright and if we are on our way back yet?” Putting her phone in the inside pocket of her coat she grabbed her drink and stood up. “You ready?” Callie looked at me her head tilted to the side.  
“Yes! You have no idea.” I spoke in a low voice so only she could hear. She chuckled and started walking out the door. Without hesitation I followed her out the door. “Where did you park?”  
“Around the corner at the meter.” She nodded to the right of us. I pulled my sweater closer to my body.  
“Let’s go. My legs are freezing.” I pleaded. She led the way to her car. Once we got to the car I hopped in as fast as I could immediately cranking the heater. Callie laughed at me but not all of us could have a long coat and pants.


	2. You Echo Words You Heard

The drive back to the apartment was short and didn’t take but 20 minutes, which was quick considering we lived in the city. The ride was mostly silent except for when Callie and I sang along with the songs that were playing on the radio. It was a comfortable silence. I had known Callie longer than I had known Lacey. Callie and I had moved here together when we were 18 so we had grown accustomed to silence.   
Our apartment complex was a singular building with 15 floors but offered gated parking and a side entrance that led inside. Callie laughed at me as I made a run for entrance. Unlike her I was stuck in a dress and my legs were about to freeze again. Just as I had planned I made inside before Callie. As I made my way down the hallway to the lobby I started to warm up again. I assumed Callie wasn’t far behind and went ahead pressing the elevator button. I looked up at the digital screen on top of the elevator doors noticing that the elevator had already been coming down when I pushed the button. I looked down the hallways towards the glass doors where I could see Callie just about to open them. Smiling I reached in my pocket and pulled out my headphones, putting one of the ear buds in my right ear. I quickly scrolled through my music and I’m A Natural Blue by Waterparks started playing. Looking up from my phone I turned to check how close Callie was to me. She was halfway down the hallway, for some reason she stuck her tongue out at me. I couldn’t help but smile.  
A sudden ding and the sound of doors opening caught my attention. Turning towards the elevator my smile was replaced with surprise. There was Calvin standing in the elevator next to another guy. They were both on their phones. I took this opportunity to observe the unfamiliar face. This guy looked to be around my own age. He had long brown hair, which seemed to suit him. If I had to describe him it would be with the word comfortable. I took a quick look at him but there wasn’t much to look at. He was simply dressed in a dark grey shirt, black sweater, jeans and normal converse. My attention turned back to Calvin who had not said a word or even bother to move out of the elevator. I cleared my throat and was about to speak but was interrupted instead. Well, you can’t really be interrupted if you didn’t even bother to speak in the first place. The elevator made another dinging noise and the doors started to close.  
“Sorry. I didn’t notice we were on the bottom floor.” The guy said looking up from his phone. His hand reached out to stop the doors from closing. He was fairly good looking and his voice was deeper than I had expected. The cat caught my tongue. Instead of saying anything I just nodded like an idiot. He moved to leave the elevator nudging Calvin with his hand. “Dude, we’re at the lobby.”  
“Huh.” There was a slightly dazed look on his face as he looked up. Our eyes connected and yet I still couldn’t say anything.   
“Hey.” Callie bumped her shoulder against mine. My eyes turned away from Calvin and I looked at Callie instead. They walked out of the elevator and we walked in. After pressing the button for the 9th floor I looked up only to see Calvin looking at me. I gave him a slight smile, which was returned. Just as the doors were about to close I could see his eyes shift up towards the digital screen above the elevator that displayed which floor the elevator was on.   
“Weird.” Callie noted once the doors were closed.  
“What?” I turned toward her. My heart was beating a little faster than normal.  
“You.” She paused. “You were acting weird.” The elevator, like most things today, was moving slow.   
“What are you talking about?” I tried to act bored like I had no idea what she was talking about. The last thing I wanted to do was tell Callie about the odd encounter I had with Calvin. Nor did I really want to mention how Shelly was going to go after him and make the situation awkward.  
“You were fine and then you got to the elevator…I don’t know you just got…awkward I guess is the word.” The elevator made a ding noise and the doors opened for us on the 9th floor. I went ahead of Callie, getting off first so she couldn’t see my face.   
“Oh, they were just standing in the elevator. I didn’t know how to ask them if they were getting off.” I paused, thinking of a more details I could add. “I was just about to say something when you came.” It wasn’t the truth but wasn’t exactly a lie either. I could feel Callie staring at me but I didn’t dare turn around. It wasn’t until I reached our front door that I realized I didn’t have my keys with me.  
“Really? That’s it.” She tapped on my shoulder. Relaxing my face I turned to face her. She held her hand up the keys dangling from the chain that held them. I kept my focus on the set of keys refusing to even look her in the eyes.  
“Really.” I gulped, hoping it wasn’t noticeable. She drew the keys back when I tried to reach for them.  
“You’re a terrible liar.” Callie got close to my face. I could feel my cheeks flush. “I saw the whole thing. In fact I was standing pretty close and you didn’t even notice.” My eyes narrowed slightly.   
“It’s really not that interesting.” I sighed moving away from Callie and the door gesturing for her to unlock the door. “I met one of those guys in elevator this morning. It was just odd to see him again.” I shrugged. She fumbled with the keys for a minute before popping the door open.   
“Really? That’s no reason to be weird about it though.” We both walked into our apartment. Callie flopped down onto the brown couch as I took off my shoes.  
“It’s just one of those things you know.” I took off my sweater, making a few grunting noises in the process. “You see someone in a certain situation. You don’t think much of this encounter. After all, you’re more than likely never going to see this person again…” I made some gestures with my hands as I talked. Walking to the living room I laid on the floor so I was facing the spinning ceiling fan. I put my hands behind my head before I started talking again. “Then you end up seeing that same person again in the same situation but a different time…It’s just a weird coincidence is all…” I closed my eyes. It was just a coincidence. That’s all there had been to it. I was never going to see him again anyways. Then again never seemed to be a short time. Letting out a small groan I was unsure of whom I was trying to convince that it had just been a coincidence. Was I trying to convince Callie or myself? Before I could overthink the situation more than I already had, I felt a pillow hit my face causing me to open my eyes.  
“Ouch.” It hadn’t actually hurt but I said it out of habit more than anything.  
“You overthought it.” She noted.  
“No, shit Sherlock.”   
“You must have thought about it for quite some time.”   
“Not really.” It was the truth…somewhat. “Where is Lacey?” I asked just now noticing that she had been nowhere in sight.  
“She went out to spend the night at her boyfriend’s house.” Callie said indifferent. We both felt the same about her boyfriend, Steven. He wasn’t a good guy. Steven was manipulative and was treated Lacey like shit but no matter what we told her she wouldn’t leave him.  
“Joy.” I rolled my eyes. “Fucking Steven.” I mumbled to myself.”  
“I’m sure that is exactly what she is doing.” Callie snorted.   
“I’m not sure if I should be disgusted or give you a high five for that response.” I held out my hand to her. “So, I’m just going to do both.” She slapped my hand.   
“What time is it?” Callie asked me as I walked into the kitchen.   
“11:30 P.M.” I checked my phone for the time.   
“Damn…it’s too late to order pizza.” She noted.  
“Aren’t you on a diet?” I asked.  
“Yeah…but today is my cheat day.” Callie said. “Check to see what is in the fridge for me will you?”   
“Gotcha.” I opened the fridge to only find some milk, beer, and a few other items not dinner worthy. “We got nothing…except for maybe cereal.” Shutting the fridge door I walked back into the living room. Callie hadn’t made a single move from the couch. “Plus it’s after eight. You shouldn’t even be eating.” She groaned at me.  
“You’re killing me here Michelle.” She repositioned herself so she was lying down on the couch. Callie cuddled a pillow and closed her eyes. I watched her for minute before heading down the hallway and into my room. After shutting the door I let out a big sigh. I let my eyes close and my head tilt back against the door.   
My room felt cold as if I had left the window open. I gave myself a minute to breathe and relax before opening my eyes again. My room was decently sized I was able to fit a bed, nightstand, desk, gaming consoles and a mirror. My queen-sized bed was positioned right across the door, right next to the window. A small black nightstand that held my laptop sat next to my bed. On the left side on my room in the corner was a small closet that held most of my clothes with the help of a plastic dresser. A navy blue mirror was stuck on one of the closet doors. In the other corner on the opposite end was my desk, which had my TV and Xbox One sitting on top of it. My walls were plain white. The only decorations on my walls were movie and gaming posters. I decided to change into basketball shorts and a loose shirt before heading to get my sheets from the washer.   
I could hear Callie snoring as soon as I opened my door. I laughed quietly at her. Silently, I walked over to the couch to take a peek at her. She was in deep sleep, still cuddling the pillow. Shaking my head at her I moved to the laundry room. I don’t know why I was surprised to see my navy sheets dried, stacked up nice and neat on top of the dryer. I’d have to thank Lacey in the morning. I was thankful to not have to work till Sunday morning.   
There was a loud bang on my door that instantly woke me up from my sleep. The unexpected sound made me sit up in my bed. Stupidly, I looked at the window to at least get a basic understanding of what time it possibly was. It was morning and once again, the sun blinded me.  
“Fuck me.” I said under my breath. “Yeah. What is it?”   
“Hey, I ordered pizza but I need to run out and pick up Lacey.” Callie said. “I didn’t think the pizza would get here so quick.” She spoke softly like I wasn’t supposed to hear it.   
“Pizza for breakfast? This diet must be killing you.” I laid back down, cocooning myself in my comforter.   
“Breakfast? It’s almost one! If anything this is a late lunch.”   
“Fuck me.” I shut my eyes again. I had wasted half my day. If anything my only regret was that I didn’t sleep longer. “Alright. When is it supposed to be here? I’ll run down to the lobby and get it.”  
“It’ll be here in 15 minutes. The money is on the kitchen counter! Thank you!” I could hear Callie’s footsteps retreating. After I hear the front door slam shut I threw off my comforter. I took a long stretch to avoid getting up right away. If it weren’t for the rumbling of my stomach I would have made up some lame excuse for the pizza. As I walked to the kitchen to grab the money I flipped through my phone looking for a good song to play. I couldn’t decide on a song. I picked up the money still looking through my music choices. The process was the same as I put on my sweater, shoes, plugged in my headphones and walked down the hall to the elevator.   
I finally settled on New Americana by Halsey just as the elevator arrived on my floor. The elevator let out a soft ding followed by the doors opening. It was empty. Lucky me. I had the whole thing to myself for now, which was rare. I stared the electronic screen on the side of the elevator as it counted down the floors. I watched the numbers slowly decline until I was finally at the lobby. Like always the lobby was quiet only a few people lingered there. Right in the middle of the lobby was a small brown table with a vase on top of it filled with lilies. On the right side of the room was the reception desk and employee area. The left side of the room had a small sitting area with some small tables placed around it. Two brown couches face each other only separated by a small brown coffee table littered with cheesy magazines. The walls of the lobby were a soft beige color with tile on the floor to match.   
Without hesitating I sat on the brown couch that faced the double glass doors. I looked over the magazines that were sitting on the table. There was nothing but health magazines. Normally, they had at least a few celebrity tabloid magazines but all the older women must have snatched them up. Leaning back against the couch I sighed, pulling out my phone to check the time. It was 1:05 P.M. the pizza should be here now or pretty soon at least. A teenager wearing a bright red shirt caught my attention as he walked through the door.  
“Damn, I’m good.” I said to myself.  
“What was that Dear?” I turned around to see an old woman in a light blue flower patterned shirt looking at me.   
“Oh, nothing. Sorry, I was just talking to myself.” I got up. Nodding to the old women. “Have a good day.” I smiled to her but she just looked at me with a blank expression. Creepy. Turning back around I could see the teenage girl heading toward the front desk. Thanks to some speed walking I was able to intercept her before she reached it.   
“Hi, pizza delivery for Callie. Right?” I asked her with a smile.  
“I believe that is supposed to be my line.” The girl smiled back at me. “Yes. That’ll be $15.80 for the pizza and drink.” I handed her a twenty, surprised that I had missed the bag she was carrying on her shoulder. She handed me the pizza and liter of soda.  
“Thanks. Have good day. The rest is your tip.” I flashed her a quick smile. With the delivery in tow I headed back to the elevator. Callie had gotten a large pizza, which alone took, up most of the space in my arms, which would have been fine had it not been for the soda. With my hands full I planned to press the call button with the corner of the box but before I could go through with it a hand shot out and pushed the ‘up’ button on the elevator.   
“Thank you.” I gave a slight laugh and turned my head towards my savor. “Oh, it’s you.”   
“Oh.” It was the guy who had been in the elevator with Calvin yesterday. “It’s you.” He pointed at me. “Sorry, about yesterday.” The soft ding of the elevator caught our attention.   
“What floor?” He asked me once we were both on the elevator.   
“9th floor please.” The guy pressed the 9th floor button along with the 13th floor button. “Thank you…” There was an awkward pause at the end of my sentence.   
“Dylan. My name is Dylan. I’d offer to shake your hand but…well you know.” He shrugged ignoring the awkwardness that was between us. “Your name is...?” There was another awkward pause at the end of the sentence. Rather than a pause it was more like he let the question just linger.  
“Michelle. Nice to meet you.” We stood in silence as the elevator moved up. Dylan was staring at the electronic numbers. While he was distracted I was observing him. He wore an outfit similar to yesterday but instead of a grey shirt it was green. He turned to me, his mouth opened about to speak.   
“Ca-…” The chime of the elevator cut him off. I waited for him to start speaking again to be polite. “Have a good day.” Dylan said simply dismissing the previous sentence.   
“Thanks. You too.” I got of the elevator turning to give Dylan a small smile. He held up his hand to wave to me. As the doors started to close I could see him pull his phone out of his pocket. I wasn’t surprised that Calvin wasn’t with him but I guess that meant I might see him again after all since his friend lived here. Then again, he could just be visiting a friend or even a girlfriend? Hell, it could even be a boyfriend. Fuck if I knew…fuck if I care anyways.  
When I got back to the apartment I tossed the pizza on the table. Still carrying the soda I walked to the kitchen to grab a glass for myself. It was a good thing the soda was cold because we had no more ice in the fridge since Callie had used it all last week. I picked a random cup from the cupboard and started to fill it up with the dark colored soda. The front door opened causing me to stop in mid-pour. Callie and Lacey were arguing. The subject? Lacey’s boyfriend.  
“I can’t believe you loaned him money!” Callie was shocked. I could see them standing in front of the door from my position in the kitchen.  
“For the last time he needed help making rent this month.” She was clam unlike Callie. Lacey took off her shoes and started to relax.  
“Don’t tell me you actually believe that.” She scoffed as she crossed her arms watching Lacey walking away from her.  
“Yes. I do. Can we just not talk about this anymore?” She opened the box of pizza that was on the table.   
“Fine. Let’s just avoid this forever.” I could see Callie throw her hands up all dramatically.  
“Well, one can dream.” Lacey let out a long sigh. I1` couldn’t help but laugh at that. Laughing turned out to be a big mistake.   
“Don’t you even start!” Callie pointed a finger at me. “You’re supposed to be on my side here. “It’s not like you’re fond of Steven either!” She pointed out.  
“I have my own reasons for that.” I paused. “It’s not like he treats her bad. I think Steven just needs to grow up some more. Doesn’t matter much to me though.” I shrugged. “I’m not the one dating him.” Callie was silent when I finished speaking. What I had said either made sense to her or pissed her off a lot more.  
“I can’t believe you bought pizza AND a soda.” Lacey said breaking the awkward silence that had formed. “Aren’t you supposed to be on a diet?” She made sure to note.  
“I can have a cheat day!” Callie said walking over to the table. “Plus we have no food in the house.” She took a slice of the supreme pizza. “Look it has bell peppers, mushrooms, onions, sausage, pepperoni and cheese.” Callie lifted her hand that held the pizza. “It is somewhat healthy.” Without a care in the world she took a huge bite.   
Everything seemed to be in slow motion. My jaw dropped as I watch Lacey slap the pizza out of Callie’s hand. The pizza fell to the floor. I silently mourned the loss of pizza. It was quiet and still in the room. You could hear a pin drop, that is how quiet it was. I guess Lacey was still mad about hearing Callie complain about her boyfriend. I wonder what kind of conversation they must’ve had.  
“You did not just slap my pizza out of my hand.” Callie said. Her voice was terrifyingly calm. Looking at my drink I debated if I should down the whole thing or take a large drink before shit went down. “Lacey!” I downed my drink in one shot. Lacey didn’t respond but rather shrugged Callie off. Yeah, shit was about to go down.   
“Let’s just be calm ab-…” I started to say but was cut off by Callie who had grabbed a handful of Lacey’s blonde hair. A loud sigh escaped my mouth. They usually didn’t fight physically but when they did it got ugly. I didn’t bother to intervene. They always worked it out, in the end they would be sitting on the couch watching sappy movies eating ice cream. Plus the last few times I intervened it did nothing but cause more problems…and injuries. With my jacket still on I grabbed the full box of pizza making sure to close it properly. After making sure I had my headphone with me I walked past Callie and Lacey, the pizza box in tow, slipped on my shoes and left.  
Having nowhere else to go I made my way to the elevator. I was planning to sit in the lobby and enjoy my pizza. It was going to look strange but I could honestly say I have done stranger things. I smiled to myself thinking back to all fun times I’ve had with Lacey, Callie, and even that person. Like always the soft ding of the elevator brought me out of a trance. Thankfully, it was empty. I didn’t bother to play music; for once the silence wasn’t unwelcome.   
Before I knew it I was at the lobby. It was still just as empty as it had been earlier. Picking an empty table as far away from the elevator as I could, I sat down. I unzipped my jacked setting it nicely on my chair. Looking down at my outfit I frowned. Maybe I should’ve changed. Then again I was comfortable in my blue tank top and black yoga pants. It didn’t really matter much anyways since I am pretty sure people were going to be focused on the large pizza I had in front of me rather than my outfit.   
It took some time but I finally settled on listening to Turn It Down by Kaskade before I started to dig into the pizza. As I ate I watched the people come through the lobby. Surprisingly, there weren’t as many old people as I thought that lived here. As people started to pass by their faces became a blur but there was one girl who caught my attention. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it but I chalked it down to her platinum blonde hair catching my attention. Well, maybe it was how her thin green sweater was just open enough to show her black crop top. She wasn’t very tall, yet she walked with her head held high and a purpose in her eyes. Her skinny jeans were tucked into her black boots. I watched as she strode over to the elevator smashing the button with some force.  
My interest was peeked but staring any further would be creepy. Before looking away saw her pull out her phone. What was it with people and their phones these days? Screw social interaction, I guess. My gaze drifted to my pizza then around the room. Eventually, they landed back on the girl waiting impatiently for the elevator. There was something familiar about her. Finally the elevator made its usual ding and the doors opened for her. She entered. When the doors shut I looked at the digital screen watching the numbers go up until they stopped at the 13th floor.   
“Damn. Now I really feel like a creepy stalker.” I said quietly to myself looking around to make sure no one had heard me. “I wonder if they’re done fighting yet.” It was probably a good idea to sit around for a little bit more before going up. Just because it was a good idea doesn’t mean I was actually going to do it.   
Grudgingly, I got up heading to the elevator with the leftover pizza. My luck wasn’t all that bad today. As the door opened it once again revealed that it was empty. I took out my headphone deciding to enjoy the limited silence time I was going to get. The doors started to close quickly after I had pressed the 9th floor button.   
“Wait! Hold the elevator!” A male voice shouted. A hand shot out to stop the doors from closing at the same time I was pressing the button for the doors to open. Lucky for him, I was able to stop the door from crushing his hand. When the doors opened I looked to see Calvin standing there. He was wearing a black hoodie with some cartoon charters on it. Accompanied by his black snapback, headphones, jeans and black boots. “Thanks.” Calvin sounded out of breath.  
“No problem.” My response was short and sweet. “What floor?”   
“You should know.” His brown eyes locked with mine. I could see his mouth forming a lopsided smile.  
“Excuse me?” A confused look came on my face. Calvin’s eyebrows furrowed in response. “Uh, 13 please.” He cleared his throat. I nodded pressing the button. “Sorry, I heard you met Dylan today. I just assumed it was brought up. I guess not though.” He smiled again but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. Calvin must have been feeling awkward.  
“Oh, no. He recognized me from yesterday and apologized about the elevator thing.” I paused trying to think of something else to say. “It was nice of him.” I noted.  
“Sounds like Dylan.” He chuckled. “He’s a good guy and an even better friend.” Calvin was silent for a moment. “I jus-“ He started to speak but was cut off by the dinging elevator.  
“Ah, this is my floor.” I got off the elevator. Before walking away I turned to wave at him. The doors started to close but before they could he stopped them with his hand. I looked at him curiously.   
“Wait…” He bit his lip. “What’s your name? I never really caught it.” I didn’t blame him. Shelly had been serving him rather than me. Also this was technically our first time really talking.  
“It’s Michelle.” Calvin nodded at me taking his hand off the doors, letting them close. “Nice to meet you, Calvin.” I said trying to get the words out before the doors shut. I stood in the quiet hall for a moment, reflecting on what just happened. It was a short yet strange encounter that I couldn’t help but smile at. Without another thought I headed back to my apartment.  
It was silent when I walked through the door. Well, mostly silent. I could hear A Walk To Remember playing softly. The sound was coming from Callie’s room, which was right next to the living room. I kicked off my shoes, put the pizza on the table, headed down the hallway and into my room. The once clear sounds of the movie became muffled and faint. After stripping down and hooking up my Bluetooth headphones to my phone I crawled into bed. Your Soul By Hippie Sabotage was playing and before I knew it, I fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry! I started this for NaNoWriMo so there may be some typos!


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